Monitoring the Buckeye and Brush Creek MOAs

 

The skies over southern Ohio have provided milair communication monitors with steady activity for years and continues to today. Times have changed somewhat from a few years ago, when the 178th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard were the main attraction. The 178th no longer fills the skies with F-16s, they are transitioning to an Intelligence and Reconnaissance Wing, soon to remotely fly the MQ-1 Predator drone. So, who do we listen to now? Let us take a look at how the airspace is used and who is using it now.

Buckeye Military Operations Area (MOA) is FAA regulated airspace over southern Ohio for use by a variety of military flying units for training in Aircraft Combat Maneuvers (ACM) and Aerial Refueling (AR).

Buckeye MOA and the interconnecting Brush Creek MOA are controlled by Indianapolis ARTCC (Indy Center, ZID). For the most part the two MOAs are mainly used by the 180th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard based at Toledo, flying the F-16C/D 'Fighting Falcon'.

Other units using the MOAs on occasion are the 163rd Fighter Squadron based in Fort Wayne, and the 107th Fighter Squadron based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan. Both of these units fly the A-10 'Thunderbolt II' aircraft.

The 123rd Air Control Squadron (ACS) of the Ohio Air National Guard based in the northern
Cincinnati community of Blue Ash, sometimes conducts training and controls aircraft within
Buckeye and Brush Creek MOAs. They use the callsign 'BLUE ASH'.

The western edge of Buckeye MOA is 35 miles east of downtown Cincinnati.

Normally the airspace is used at least four days each week; Monday-Thursday on normal weeks, Tuesday-Friday on weeks after a UTA weekend (during which they will fly on Saturday and Sunday). Occasional nighttime sorites are also conducted.MOAs are scheduled for the time active. They are for aircraft only. ATCAAs are pretty much the same concept, but they are used to extend the boundaries of MOAs (like the CHARLIE Shelf in Buckeye used for refueling).

BUCKEYE MOA/BRUSH CREEK MOA:

225.700       Brush Creek Tac
290.500       ZID Sector 69 (Pike Low)
316.125       Buckeye Tac*
343.800       Buckeye Aerial Refueling

*316.125 is assigned as a discrete to the Pike Low sector (Sector 69).

123rd ACS - callsign: BLUE ASH

240.350       GCI primary
283.800       GCI secondary
364.200       AICC

Blue Ash also has SATCOM capability, and was heard doing radio checks on
258.650d/299.650u in April 2013...however, usage is rare.

180th FW (112th FS) - callsigns: STING, BUZZ, BUCKEYE, MUDDY (NORAD),        
                                                       LOMA (travel)

141.650       Ops [Aux 1]
338.150       Ops [Pri 1]
248.650       Tac [Aux 6]
312.175       Tac [Aux 7]
357.100       Tac [Aux 8]
367.500       Tac [Aux 9]
139.625       Victor 6*
139.975       Victor 7*
141.600       Victor 8*
138.425       Victor 9*
228.900       NORAD Secondary (primary for training)
260.900       NORAD Primary
260.725d/294.325u      NORAD CONR-2 (SATCOM)

*These are the old tactical freqs, but they still see occasional use.

Buckeye/Brush Creek presets: 316.125 [7], 240.350 [8], 290.500 [9], 225.700 [16]

127th WG (107th FS) - callsigns: DEMON, TEJAS, YALTA, BOSUN, HOWDY

273.000       DEMON Tac [button 11]
326.000       TEJAS Tac [button 12]
307.600       YALTA Tac [button 13]
368.000       BOSUN Tac [button 14]
314.400       HOWDY Tac [button 19]
349.400       Tac - this is a common AMC CP frequency

Buckeye/Brush Creek presets: 290.500 [21], 316.125 [22], 240.350 [23], 225.700 [24]

To find out when the MOAs are scheduled for activity;

1. Go to http://sua.faa.gov/sua/siteFrame.app

2. On the right side of the map, click the "+" for "States" and select Ohio.
     It will zoom automatically.

3. Just below "States," click the "+" for "Map Layers." In most cases, you should select
     the following.

    

    Click "Update Map" when complete.

    - Airspace Types: Air Traffic Control Assigned Airspace, Aerial Refueling Route, 

      Military Operations Area, Other  

   - Altitude Types: all

   - Activation Types: as desired, but do NOT select "Not Scheduled"

4. Hovering over depicted airspace will show the name.
    Clicking on it will display the Zulu times.

If you have any additional tips, tricks or info, please share it in the comments.

*SPECIAL THANKS to Jared Soergel (@jsoergel949) for providing material for this article.

Recent Area Loggings

Here are some recent intercepts from area monitors:

From Randy True, W4RTT


240.350    Blue Ash Control
291.725    Cleveland Center
139.625    Stings 11 & 12, Yoder 22 & 32,
139.975    Gutter or Cutter 32, Delta 2120
141.825    No Call signs, but they definately sounded Scotch,
           One was dead on Sean Connery.
           SNAKES and ATOMICS in R-5503 at 9:25 to 9:45 local
           time. ATOMICS switched to 269.275.

138.275     These sounded like flights just passing through.
139.900




----

Alex K. N8UCN


344.600    SENTRY 61 (Tinker, AFB, OK) W/ WPAFB Metro Requesting WX
           for Tinker AFB. Later, Sentry 61 gave Pirep. 1750z
240.350    178th SABER FLT checking in after takeoff. 1805z
288.700    AWACS aft call of DRAGNET VICTOR making comm checks on
           frequency.1820z
254.700    DRAGNET VICTOR comm with ATC, with intentions on making the
           Red Hill MOA, 1823z
287.450    Repeated electronic chirps heard form DRAGNET VICTOR.
           Obviously a Data link freq, 1325z
289.300    MACE CONTROL and DRAGNET VICTOR coordinating exercise for
           COLT Flt. 1330z
260.900    DRAGNET VICTOR Calling HUNTRESS w/ comm checks for
           exercises at 1340z
228.900    DRAGNET UNIFORM Tried to establish comms with Huntress with
           no joy. Multiple calls go on for 10 mins. Finally contact is
           made with 180th FW, STING FLT out of Toledo Express APT.
           DRAGNET UNIFORM gave a ground brief and Core checks.
360.775    DRAGNET VICTOR calling INDY ATC with intent of working
           COLT 41-44 in the Red Hills MOA.


238.800    MANIAC calling "Maniac Control" for en-route information and WX
           at 1900z.

----

autobag@fuse.net


336.100    (AR-455) traffic tonight between 7:30 and 9:15 PM local.
           Callsign "5044" told he had four in trail, heading down to
           block. Flt. level 20, and had contact.

343.250    (AR-633) Unidentified traffic. Same period of time. Don't
           know if this was related to the other mission.

           Bengals Game (12/6) Flyby Catch. Heard this traffic starting at
           12:35 to 13:02 local. Couldn't make-out the two syllable
           prefix before the 41 call sign. Had visual over Southern
           Campbell County, KY. They looked like two F-18 Super Hornets.

254.250,    "xx xx41" "flt. level one zero proceeding to the southwest"
254.250,    "xx xx41" "request overhead flyover"
254.250,    "xx xx41" "roger clear for 18 left"


----

John Denny


252.100   MASH 83 airborne out of Grissom ANG.  He asked if they could
          relay to his receivers that he was an hour early and if they
          could be there early that would be great. There were at least
          4 in the BUCKEYE at that time using BLADE & ATOMIC callsigns
          at 2300z.

===
Thanks to all, keep them coming!

Local 123rd ACS OHANG Heading to Iraq

Members of the 123rd Air Control Squadron of the Ohio Air National Guard based at Blue Ash Airport have been called to active duty and will soon deploy to Iraq. They will operate an air traffic control center and provide radar data to ground troops on military air traffic.

The 123rd ACS controls the Brush Creek and Buckeye Military Operations Areas (MOA) [R-5503 A/B] located to the east of Cincinnati.